Park City #1 -Sunday

Hi Sisters,

I think some of you found my travels & writing mildly interesting.  This being so, I offer the following from Park City. 

Got a late start Saturday AM and got mildly lost in the last little bit.  I took the scenic rout.  Almost hit a deer. Was just a little disconcerted driving 60 mph down country roads 100 feet from farm-house front-doors. Lots of cows and some bucolic pretty scenery.

But first, an observation from a commercial I caught while watching Meet the Press. (I use Sunday AM news to keep me just a little balanced from watching Fox News all week.)
To resume, some local men's clothing store was offering the "Missionary's Package, two conservative suits, 5 white shirts, and ties, and two pair of sensible shoes."  Have to admire the Mormon's.  Don't understand them, but you have to admire them.

The Marriott where I'm staying -and there are two of them here- is at the north end of town -the downhill end of a fairly steep valley, on the west side -the right as you look up hill.  Hills and -oh happy day- staircases!!!  -upnesses & downesses.  I did tell my self I'd start out slowly and work my up to some serious upnesses as the week progressed, but about half way through the walk, I had to do a uppness. 

I know it is getting a little tiresome -my continuously comparing things to SF, but can't be helped.  The following might provide some validity to my doing so. 

 

 

But first, the obligatory purple house for Veronica.

Now comes the SF part -a stair case -up and down -in this case, up and down the side of the valley. A little flatter then the SF stair cases, and a lot less vegetation. A bit chillier too, but I was in shorts & a long sleeve shirt and was comfie.

 

Kind'a a dull pix, but it shows t'other side of the valley and some big houses on the top of the hill.

This struck me as interesting, It's a ski lift struck in less than a half city block right in town. Quite a bit different than what we expect in CO where the ski-area came first and the town kind'a grew up around it. Even Breck has the lifts (mostly) up the hill a bit. Interesting, but apparently parking is a bitch -or all the assorted signs and computerized parking meters would seem to indicate. The 2nd pix is 90 degrees to the left looking up the west side of the valley.

Poor pitiful little building sitting in amongst lots of over-done Victorian on Main Street. But iz purple!

Dull picture, but that's a ski-slope up there. Mostly the buildings are so jammed together, you can't see much of the surrounding.

A composite pix -but curious. On the right is -for want of a better word, an incongruent Mediterranean building -flat don't belong- and right next to it are 2 or 3 A frames. They belong. Ugly, but the belong. I like the Mediterranean building better.

 

At about this point I got on the free main-street pretend cable car for a ride back down main street and back up where I turned around and started walking back home.

This is a set of three small Victorian done right. Appropriate architecture and scale -and I like the colors.

Right out of my SF wanderings -looking up and looking down -3 or 4 streets here.

This staircase is only a block long and being security gates, but were it not for the fir tree, I could be right out's SF -steepness wise.

Park City #2 -Wednesday

Sunday rained AM and spit snow PM so I stayed in and did web-stuff. 

Monday, however, I put my shoes on early and went for what I hoped would be a stroll up the ski slope outside the inn for a nice sunrise.  Timing sucked.  It finally got cold enough for them to make snow and there were doing so with a fury.  The walk was through a sideways snow storm -or a moderate sleet storm as the case might be.  Given the darkness, uncertain footing on about ½ inch crusty snow, and general coldness and wetness, it was also was a short walk. 

The sun came out in the PM so I took off again.  But forgot my camera and I sometimes do.  Didn't walk far before I cam across a shuttle and hopped on for a ride up to what I think is the highest part of the resort.  Then I rode a free funicular up the south (non-skiing) side of the valley to the St. Regis hotel.  WOW -anyone finding themselves in Park City hungry with lots of money and a little time, I'd suggest a meal. Over-done architecture, but well done -inside and out- and great views. 

When the shuttle returned, I took it from early winter (smell of fir trees) back down the valley to autumn, (smell of wet fallen leaves).  Wasn't a long trip either -in terms of distance or elevation anyway.  A late lunch at Burger King -thanks for the gift cards Colleen -the restaurant on the hill-top was beyond my budget, then a nice walk back up the valley to home.  I walked by the same place I'd been that early AM and sure as heck, there was not about 1 ½ - 2" of crusty snow drifting here and about.  It ain't everywhere.  They appear to do a pretty good job of putting it where they want / need it.  BTW -the snow making has been going on constantly ever sense.  Kind'a glad I'm on the wrong side of the building for vie4ws.  It's also the quiet side and the snow guns are noisy. 

Wednesday:
Cloudy and cool both yesterday and today.  Stayed in and worked except for short walks and a short expletory drive to find a Subway -another Gift card from Colleen.

Depending on the weather Thursday, I plan to repeat some part of Sunday's ramble to show you pictures of winter in Park City.

 

Park Ckity #3 -Utah back to Colorado:

Here area bunch of un-annotated thru-the-windshield pix.  Just a couple of notes:  They have some stomping big mountains in Utah, and more water than I'd'a guessed, (but some deserts too.  We end with Glenwood Canyon and sunset coming up out of Vail Valley.